JetBlue announced effective this Sunday, October 31 it will expand its footprint at New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) across two terminals, operate more daily departures than ever before with up to 35 daily flights and serve more than triple the number of nonstop destinations flown in 2019. JetBlue’s growth – aimed at delivering more competition and low fares to travelers – is made possible through its Northeast Alliance (NEA) with American Airlines.
“LaGuardia is one of the most asked for airports by customers, but it’s also one of the most congested, and JetBlue has long lacked the slots to grow our operation,” said Dave Fintzen, vice president, Northeast Alliance, JetBlue. “But thanks to our alliance, we can tap into American’s slot portfolio, substantially expand JetBlue-operated flying at LaGuardia with increased frequencies and new destinations and bring our much-loved experience and low fares to more JetBlue and American customers.”
Simple, Split Terminal Operations
Starting this Sunday, JetBlue will expand operations to two separate terminals at LaGuardia to make way for more flying and new destinations. The airline will continue to operate in the historic Marine Air Terminal (Terminal A) but will also be expanding into LaGuardia’s state-of-the-art Terminal B.
“We are very pleased to welcome JetBlue back to Terminal B,” said Frank Scremin, Chief Executive Officer of LaGuardia Gateway Partners, the manager and developer of the new terminal. “From NYC inspired shops and dining to world class art and more, we’re excited for JetBlue customers to experience the progress we’ve made transforming Terminal B into a modern gateway New Yorkers can be proud of.”
All Boston flights will operate at the Marine Air Terminal, while flights to and from all other destinations will operate at Terminal B. JetBlue will operate up to 12 daily departures to Boston at the Marine Air Terminal and up to 23 additional daily departures to other destinations from Terminal B. Terminal B is also home to American Airlines and will allow for convenient connections between the airlines within the same terminal.
JetBlue’s split operation at LaGuardia will continue until the airline fully relocates to Terminal B in the future.
The LaGuardia Terminal B redevelopment – now more than 85% complete – includes a new 1.3 million square foot terminal with 35 gates, an array of New York City-inspired shops and dining options, permanent pieces of art by leading artists and a one-of-a-kind water feature.
More Departures to More Destinations
In addition to expanding its footprint at LaGuardia, JetBlue will also expand its list of nonstop destinations and number of daily flights. Starting Sunday, October 31, the airline will introduce three all-new routes with daily service between LaGuardia and:
- Jacksonville, Fla. (JAX), up to twice daily.
- Sarasota, Fla. (SRQ), once daily.
- Savannah, Ga. (SAV), once daily.
With the addition of new destinations and increased flying on select routes, JetBlue will now operate up to 35 daily departures at LaGuardia, more than ever before. Still, JetBlue intends to grow further in the months ahead. In 2022, the airline will operate more than 50 daily departures and add service to even more new destinations, again enabled by the NEA. In the first half of the year, JetBlue will introduce nonstop service between LaGuardia and:
- New Orleans, La. (MSY), on sale and launching March 27.
- Nashville, Tenn. (BNA), on sale and launching March 27.
- Portland, Maine (PWM), on sale soon and launching summer 2022.
By summer 2022, JetBlue will serve 16 nonstop destinations from LaGuardia, more than even before.
Northeast Alliance Supercharges Competition
JetBlue’s expansion at LaGuardia is a direct result of the NEA with American, which creates a viable third competitor in the Northeast by, among other things, connecting JetBlue’s growing network to American’s through codeshare and reciprocal loyalty benefits. The NEA is already delivering countless benefits to customers and enabling the expansion of JetBlue’s low fares and great service.
JetBlue has announced nine all-new destinations and 32 new routes, enabled by the NEA. Together JetBlue and American have added 58 new routes, including 18 international flights that will launch by 2022 and increased frequencies on more than 130 routes giving more options and choices to customers. The airlines are now codesharing on 175 routes, giving the pair a combined schedule with the number of markets and seats that for the first time in JetBlue’s two-decade history allows it to offer its customers options that stack up against larger, dominant carriers.
In New York, JetBlue and American plan to operate close to 500 daily flights next month, 300 of which will be flown by JetBlue. Given a vastly expanded network and flying, the NEA is estimated to generate more than $800 million dollars in annual consumer benefits. JetBlue is also in the process of hiring 1,800 new Crewmembers as a direct result of the growth that the NEA is enabling – jobs that otherwise would not be created without this alliance.
JetBlue will continue to implement the NEA and deliver tremendous benefits of added competition to its customers.
